Indians Extend SP Carlos Carrasco

We came into the offseason thinking the Cleveland Indians could trade Corey Kluber and/or Carlos Carrasco. After all, they let outfielder Michael Brantley walk. But on Thursday afternoon, they would extend the 31-year-old Carrasco through 2022. And it doesn’t come at too much of a cost, per The Athletic’s Zack Meisel.

This past season, he put up a 3.38 ERA, 2.97 FIP and 2.91 DRA across 192 innings. His season before that was just a little bit better. In 2017, he would finish with a 3.29 ERA, 3.08 FIP and 2.79 DRA. This past season saw him strike out nearly 30% of opposing batters (29.5%) — almost a career-high. His walk rate remains low, as he put just 5.5% of opposing batters on base via the free pass this past season.

Meanwhile, the Indians are coming off a 91-win season. But they would get swept out of town by the Houston Astros in the divisional round. The season before that, they blew a 2-0 ALDS lead to the New York Yankees. And the season before that, Cleveland blew a 3-1 World Series lead to the Chicago Cubs.

But if they’re keeping Carrasco, surely that means Kluber will stick around as well? We’ll find out soon enough.